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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. roll — a cake
  3. branch — a division
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — for digging
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. roll — a list
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. content — the amount
  22. board — a committee
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com